How does Shakespeare's treatment of human sexuality relate to the sexual conventions and language of his times? Shakespearean critic Stanley Wells presents an illuminating account of sexual behavior in the Bard's time, particularly in Stratford-upon-Avon and London, and explains what we know or can deduce of the sex lives of Shakespeare and members of his family. Wells argues that depictions of sexuality in the poetry of the period suggest that a group of poets catered especially to readers with homoerotic tastes. He then focuses on the variety of ways in which Shakespeare treats sexuality in his plays, how he relates sexuality to love, and how Shakespeare's attitude to sex developed over the course of his writing career.